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Sunday, August 21, 2016

I cannot believe we are over halfway through August. I am one of the moms who hates the school year. Ugh, double ugh and blech.

The August 12 Tags of 2016 is really pretty and really fun to do. I am so happy with how the background turned out that I cannot wait to do it on a bigger project.

I started by using Pumice Stone and Shabby Shutters Distress Stains on the tag. I LOVE how it turned out. I used Creative Chemistry 103 to push myself past my ink colors combinations and I am enjoying the results.

The Dragonfly is cut and embossed using the Alterations die and embossing folder set and then I glittered the body and put iridescent foil on the wings. The camera isn't capturing the foiled wings very well.

The saying is an Idea-ology Small Talk Sticker cut into pieces.

I love the added detail of the highly reflective Remanent Rubs Gilded Accents on the upper right and lower left corners. In person these rub-ons are very highly reflective- much more than plain foil.

I am head-over-heels for this background. The combination of the colors (Pumice Stone and Shabby Shutters), the paper (Wallflower) and the Surfaces (Linen from Textile Surfaces and Burlap from Textured Surfaces) and Deco Sheets is really pretty and interesting to look at.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

As I write this I have completed the entire class except for the last challenge and I have to say this class is incredible. Tim is always a great teacher, someone who is able to convey the information he wants to in a way that is easy to understand. Creative Chemistry 101 was all about the basics of using inks, paints, stains and rubber stamps to make art while Creative Chemistry 102 built on those techniques. Creative Chemistry 103 is definitely an advanced class that builds on 101 and 102 and never looks back. CC 103 does require 101 and 102 as prerequisites...in a previous post I mentioned you could probably take 103 as a stand alone class but at the time I didn't know that Tim doesn't allow that. As the class progressed I have to say that I agree with him. You definitely need the basics before staring this class because he doesn't slow down and teach any basics but goes full speed ahead using new products and new techniques using old products. However, don't let that scare you, if you consider yourself a beginner stamper or mixed media artist take CC 101 and 102 and then dive in to 103. The class comes with lifetime access and you can rewind the videos or even download them to your own computer and at $25 a class they are inexpensive.

So.....day 3 was all about Tim's various Texture & Collage Mediums and how they can be used in unconventional ways with the various Distress colorants. So. Much. Fun.

Layered Collage

Layered Collage is pretty standard technique but I found I got a lot of cool texture and interest with the simple addition of Collage medium and Distress Crayons.

Texture Paste Coloring

Paste Coloring utilizing Opaque Texture Medium is a very fun technique and I ended up making two very different tags using this technique. The one at the top of the blog post and the one above both use this technique. So much texture.....I LOVE this technique.

Then we did an embossing technique with Texture Paste and BAM! I had fun.

Texture Paste Embossing

Texture Paste Embossing

Texture Paste Embossing

Texture Paste Embossing Technique gives a gorgeous metallic effect unparalleled by other embossing techniques and I couldn't stop making tags. I actually made more than this but decided I could stop photographing them. This technique is a lot of fun to actually do- the embossing powder bubbles and melts in a really satisfying way.

Texture Paste Resist

Texture Paste Resist Technique. I LOVE this effect. It doesn't photograph all that well- the photo just doesn't pick up all of the beautiful glossy texture-though it does show up pretty well on video. That said, I didn't think I was going to be all that impressed as it is a sublet effect. It makes a huge mess on the stencils and takes forever to dry and can't be dried with a heat tool- so I ended up leaving them overnight to dry. Then I made my sample and it wasn't pretty....or glossy or transparent like Tim's tag. Hmmm...you know where this is going right? I don't even know what I used but it wasn't Transparent Glossy Texture Paste because that was still sealed right with the factory plastic seal. So....another huge mess and overnight dry time but this time... it was perfect. Such a feminine sublet but effective way to add texture to a project.

Distress Grit-Paste Grunge

Distress Grit-Paste Grunge. I am not sure I am a grungy enough artist to use this paste in this way but it does look pretty darn cool. It also looks amazing as snow and I cannot wait to use it at Christmas.

Day 3 done. So many fun techniques that I will definitely be suing over and over.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Ok friend....day 2 of Creative Chemistry 103. For more information on the class you can read my day 1 post here. Today we drag out the Disress Paint and I have to say I love the effect of Distress Paint and Distress Ink and Stains together. The more opaque paint looks amazing with the sheer inks.
The tags:

Distress Paint Resist Technique. OMG I am in love with this. Again I followed Tim's color way and used that Rusty Hinge with the blues....ahhhhhhh smitten doesn't even begin to explain my feelings.

This is Distress Paint Lifting Technique. This is definitely one of those practice makes perfect techniques. Getting the colors to not have hard edges is difficult and takes practice. My other two tags were pathetic with very defined lines between the colors that looked like a preschooler may have been involved. It isn't in my comfort level to use all these rainbow colors and I do love the way they look together so I am glad I pushed myself to follow the colors Tim's chose.

Distress Stain Rub Resist Technique. This comes from one of the 12 Tags of if you are interested in the directions to this...but that's on you cuz I'm too lazy to search for which one.

Ooooohhhh how gorgeous. It is hard to see on the photo but this is covered in sparkly perfection. This Distress Luminous Mica Technique is this glitter lovers dream.

My final tag of day 2 is Distress Marker Spritzed Watercolor Technique. I have all of the Distress Makers and the Spritzer and have a love/hate relationship with both. When I get the makers to do what I want I love them....when they look like I scribbled on a paper and never even considered blending them- even when I have pilled the paper trying to blend them with water- I hate them. The spritzer I mostly hate because I could never get it to do anything...until this tag. It took 3 tags and 4 times rewinding and watching the video but look how pretty. Like really really pretty. This one will probably find its way back into my repertoire.

That's it for day 2. Day 3 is posted so I best get into my messy MESSY studio, stumble to my desk (cuz there is stuff literally everywhere blocking my way) and sit my butt down and get inking.